La Ciudad de' Cientos de Paz
A large town in the western region of The Papal States, La Cuidad de' Cientos de Paz is a trade hub for the region. Attracting visitors as far away as Arkansas, it is known for it's clean plazzas and indentured residents. History Cientos de Paz entered history as a small trade town along well-worn crossroads in 1799. It dealt mainly in lodging and processing for vaqueros and the cattle they drove north into Tejas. It would grow from sixty people to over 200 by 1843, with fifty soldiers adding to the population at the start of the Mexican-American war due to the construction of a supply depot. By the turn of the Twentieth century, the population stood at just under 900 souls. The first two decades brought great growth to the town, with the construction of a hospital, slaughterhouse, and a whistle stop for the railroad. These additions brought the town more money and the prospect of employment attracted young men and women, which raised the population over a thousand. The Great Depression landed soft on the town, which due to it's rural location, was more reliant on local trade than globalized imports, though the slaughterhouse did close down until late 1950. The next century brought relative wealth to the town, and it was able to pave its roads in 1979, along with building a motel and the opening of a small trucking business in the old depot. The trucking would attract the attention of cartels, which by 1985 would have de facto control of the town. The new underground income funded the first public hospital however and this, along with generous bribes to the local cops, kept the people content. By the time of the Great War the cartel had integrated themselves in the local and regional government, which proved fortunate for them and the locals as the bombs fell. Order was keep for the first week, until reports came that the bosses had been killed further south, and the resulting vacuum of power caused a civil war among the gangsters. The chaos they were spared was paid tenfold upon them in the next two years, as trucks and cars full of men shot up the town, and threw bombs through windows. By January of 2080 the town was starving, fearful and shot to pieces. The only section that was still intact was the center of town, which had shut down when the bombs fell. The violence had also driven or killed most the townspeople, there being less than 500 people by the time the last gangster left, taking with him most of the remaining food. Starving, many turned to scavenging through what had once been their neighborhoods for anything that had left behind, while a few formed gangs and went around extorting and killing for anything they wanted. The scavengers quickly grew tired of these gangs, and the town was turned into a small battleground, groups of men and women attacking each other with tools, bats and what guns they could find, one or two bodies lying in the streets after each encounter. This drained what meager supplies they had even faster, and when it realized, most of the people left the town, drifting into the wastes. The few that were left came together in the town center and tried to farm. They found the soil barren and started to starve that winter, however, until a caravan passed through the town. The merchants set out their goods once they realized the town was still inhabited, but almost as quickly packed them away again when they saw the people had no money. The townspeople, desperate for food, gathered what they had at hand and fell upon the merchants who were bludgeoned to death and buried after their goods were taken. Seeing the ease with which they had killed the merchants, the remaining townspeople became raiders, ambushing any that came into their domain. They succeeded in this a few more times, until in 2122, they bit off more than they could chew and were wiped out by a small arms caravan making it's way to Distrito Capital. The caravan decided that they liked the location, however, and left several men behind to maintain one of the hotels as a trading post for the area. The trade post stayed in operation for the next thirty years, until the caravan went bankrupt after a bad deal with one of the gangs. The town wouldn't remain abandoned for long, however, as various groups and individuals passed through over the years. It wouldn't be until 2252 that it was permanently settled, when a former preacher and his flock moved in, fleeing from the Cattle Country to the north. The congregation took to rebuilding some of the residences around the town and planting crops. Unlike the original residents, their attempts at agriculture succeeded and they lasted through their first winter. The next two years saw them grow and prosper, their numbers growing from 30 to 63 from births and immigration. It was in 2255 that they were approached by a representative of the duque of El Dominio de la Corriente Lenta, who said the town was on his land. Not wanting any trouble, they agreed to swear fealty to the duque and the Pope. With the approval of the duque, the town grew faster than before, from trade and guards being sent from the duchy. The first lord of the city, Fredrico Durante was a kindly old man, and the one most responsible for its population boom, instigating social programs, that gave food and shelter to new arrivals in the effort to get them to stay. He would die under suspicious circumstances in 2277 however, a few short months after his son Agapito returned from his mercenary career. Agapito wasted no time installing several members of his old group as knights, giving them each control of one of the hotels around the town square. The spirit of the locals was the next issue he addressed, by giving them "credit" he allowed them to buy expensive luxury goods from his new knights., Since the paisanos are unable to repay their debts, however, they are kept in the town, and forced to labor for tourists and visitors. The last three years saw this once happy trade town, quickly turn into a depressing slum...unless your a tourist. The Count has also forced his will onto his servants in La Baronía de los Campos Podridos, quickly breaking the baron. Since then he has been plotting to expand his grasp. Culture The center of town (which is the only part most travelers see) has an air of sophistication about it, with gentlemen lounging under awnings and discussing some sort of business. As you leave the center in any direction, however, the mood slowly becomes more depressed as you enter the more rundown sections of town. Here lives the paisanos, kept in perpetual servitude by their large debt they owe to the merchants, and by extension, to the lord. Unlike their neighbors, the paisanos of La Ciudad de Cientos de Paz rarely celebrate, even on feast days, which suits the lord just fine. Economy The Peso is king in La Ciudad De Cientos De Paz, and so is anyone with a lot of them. Wealthy travelers often find themselves staying in one of the inns or hotels that dominate the center of town, and shopping in the upscale store around the square. If they are a frequent customer of these places they may even get credit given to them, so sure are the merchants (and the lord) sure of the repayment. While the locals also get this credit, it is used as the chains that bind them to the city, barely making enough to pay some of the interest and feed themselves. There is also a flourishing black market in the town, selling slaves, chems, prostitutes and dangerous weapons, despite the Papal Bulls against these things. Government The town is ruled with an Iron hand by Agapito Durante, and his knights, all of which own one of the various hotels around the town. The knights collect taxes from the paisanos and turn them in, along with account ledgers, to lord Durante who checks them against his own ledgers to make sure no one is skimming off the top, before storing them in his vault until he needs them. Anyone who is skimming is usually not seen again, although there are always alleged sightings of them in some slave pen in Distrito Capital The current Cardinal, Enrique Teleope feels his duty is solely to the spiritual needs of the people and ignores their physical status, not wishing to start conflict with the count. Category:Mexico Category:Communities Category:Tamaulipas